Improvement in amalgamators



J. TUNBRIDGE.

Amalgamators. N0,l53,505 Patentedjuly 28,1874.

mi asume canoro-uma u mak Pubsmsr.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN TUNBRIDGE, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO S. G. STUBGES 85 SON, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN AMALGAMATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 153,505, dated July 28, 1874; application filed May 22, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN TUNBRIDGE, of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Amalgamating Apparatus, of which the following is a speciication:

The drawing represents a vertical central section of my improved amalgamating apparatus.

This invention has for its object to insure a more thorough and reliable operation of amalgamating apparatus; and consists principally in so constructing the apparatus that the flouring of mercury will be almost entirely prevented, and that all mercury that may be washed off the amalgamating pieces may be collected and prevented from running to waste. The value of mercury, especially in mining districts which are at some distance from the central markets, is very great, and it is, therefore, an object of importance to miners to prevent its loss; but in the ordinary amalgamating devices now in use the proportion of mercury lost is quite considerable. I arrange a mercury-trap at the bottom of the apparatus, and am thus able to save nearly all the mercury that is washed from the amalgamating pieces. My invention also consists in various details of construction, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawing, the letter A represents the reservoir or outer vessel of myimproved amalgamating apparatus. The same is made of sheet metal or other material, of cylindrical or other form, open on top, and made with an inclined bottom, c. A pipe, b, extends from the side of this reservoir outwardly at a point where the bottom a is lowest, and connects with an upwardly-projecting pipe, d, on which a smaller recovering-vessel, B, is or may be supported. Within the pipe b is a hollow plug, e, whose passage is bored in an inclined direction, as is clearly shown in the drawing, as it is deepest where it is nearest the side of A. Instead of having the plug e, the pipe b may be directly bored inclined. In the pipe d is a cock, f, for regulating the How of matter through it, and there are screw-caps applied against the outer end of b and lower end of d, respectively, for giving ready access to the interior of these pipes for purposes of inspection, cleaning, and repair. Gis a U-shaped pipe, open at both ends, and connected at one end with the lowermost part of the bottom a. The outer end is outside of the reservoir. D is the vessel through which the minerals to be amalgamated are passed. This vessel is, by preference, of cylindrical form, of such size that it may be readily suspended into the reservoir A, as shown. I prefer to make this vessel D reversible, for purposes hereinafter pointed out, and provide it, in that case, with a sieve, g, at one end, and with another sieve, h, at the other end, both said sieves being removable, they being held in place by sliding rods t' i or` equivalent fastenings. In operation I usuallyy remove the upper sieve.

of said vessel. This construction enables me to swing the vessel D 011 the trunnions m m, and bring either one end or the other to the top. The outer upper ends of the rods l constitute hooks, whereby the vessel D is suspended from the upper edge of the reservoir A, as shown.

The operation is as follows: S or other shaped pieces of suitable metal covered with mercury are placed into the vessel D about to the middle of its height, and similar pieces are also, if desired, placed into the vessel B, upon the perforated bottom n of the same, to about one-third or one-half the height ofB. It will be observed that the top of the vessel B, where the same has a discharge-spout, is considerav bly below the top of the reservoir A. The U- shaped pipe C is next iilled with pure mercury, so that there will thus be a surface of mercury at the lowermost part of the reservoir. The slimes or minerals to be amalgamated are now poured into the vessel D, properly mixed with water, and pass down through the layers of amalgamating pieces in D, and through the perforated bottom h or g of D, into the lower part of the reservoir. Thence the slimes, &c., will, by the force of gravity, and because the outlet of B is below the top of A, pass through the inclined pipe b up into the pipe d and vessel B. In the last-named vessel the slimes,

The bail or handle j of the vessel D connectsat its ends with links or rods l Z, that are pivoted to the sides of the vessel D at m m, midway between the ends- &c., are again subjected to the amalgamating process to recover any gold that may perchance have escaped from the vessel D; and, finally, the slimes are discharged by overiowing from the vessel B. When the nature of the rock is such that the gold Will be readily liberated in the vesselD, I dispense with the vessel B and use only an overioW-pipe, d, in

its stead. All mercury that may become detached from the amalgamating pieces in the vessel D will go down with the slimes into the bottom of the reservoir, Where, owing to its greater gravity, it Will reach contact with the mercury in the pipe (l. This contact will not be disturbed by the force of the current; but, on the contrary, all the mercury thus conducted to the inner end of the trap C will cause a corresponding quantity of mercury to flow out at the outer end of said trap into a suitable receptacle. Thus the trap C will al- Ways remain charged with mercury, and in condition, therefore, to absorb from the slimes the quicksilver therein contained.

Should, by the force of the current, small particles of mercury be carried beyond the mouth of the trap C, they will roll back in the inclined pipe b, and thus bepreserved. It' any mercury should be liberated from the amalgamating process contained in B, it will drop into the pipe d, and then roll in the inclined pipe b into the trap. Thus it will be seen that by the use of my trap G practically all mercury can be preserved.

When the exposed surfaces of the amalgamating pieces in the vessel D have been used for a certain length of time I turn the vessel D to bring the sieve g to the bottom, thereby exposing to action the surfaces of the amalgamatin g pieces that were at first not exposed. For this reason the cylinder is constructed, as described, to permit reversal, and the consequent thorough utilization of the amalgamating pieces. Care must be taken to place the sieve into that end ofthe vessel D that is to be brought to the bottom.

Two or more vessels, D, may, if desired, be used in one reservoir.

I cla-im as my inventionl. The U-shaped mercury-trap C, applied to the bottom of the reservoir A in an amalgamating apparatus, and combined with and arranged belovcr the separate dischargepipe b of the slimes, all combined substantially as described.

2. The combination of the discharge-pipe b,

having an inclined bore, with the reservoir A, the vertical outlet B, and arranged above the inner opening of the U-shaped mercury-trap C, as described.

3. The amalgamating-reservoir A, connected at its lower end with the lower end of the discharge, and secondary amalgamating-vessel B, Whose outlet is below the top of the vessel A, so that the slimes discharged from A Will directly ascend in the vessel B, all combined in the manner described.

4. The combination of the balj, rods Z, and central trunnions m With the reversible amalgamating-vessel D, the rods Zconstitutin g the connections for the ends of the bail and the support of the vessel on the surroundin g rcservoir, as described.

JOHN TUNBRIDGE. Witnesses:

A. V. BmEsEN, A. J. FLETCHER. 

